This invention relates to fowl picking machines and, more particularly, to fowl and poultry picking devices utilizing counter-rotating drums on which are mounted elongated, flexible, resilient picking fingers.
Poultry picking machines utilizing counter-rotating picking apparatus are well known. Typically, such machines include horizontally spaced, longitudinally extending, generally parallel banks of individual cylindrical drums, one bank of drums generally opposing the other. Alternating drums in each bank are rotated in opposite directions thereby causing the flexible picking fingers attached thereto to be rotated in opposite directions against the fowl to be picked.
Typically, the mechanisms for rotating the individual drums in opposite directions have included single, elongated axles on which all of the drums have been mounted. Various drive means including belts, pulleys, or even gears have been mounted on second elongated shafts extending parallel to the single axle on which all of the drums are mounted. The second shaft is rotated in one direction with the belts or gears engaging alternating drums on the parallel axle to move those drums in the same direction as the second shaft. At the same time, a power source turns the axle on which all of the drums are mounted in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the second shaft causing the remaining drums which are fixed to the first axle to be rotated in an opposite direction.
The above-described mechanisms, although functioning adequately, have been difficult to repair and maintain. Should any single drum need to be removed for repair or maintenance, it is necessary to disconnect generally the entire drive apparatus and remove the axle supporting all of the drums in order to remove the single drum. The belts, pulleys or gears for transferring power to the various drums are left exposed to the feathers removed from the fowl or poultry causing clogging, disruption, and even breakdown of the picking machine often at frequent intervals. Access to the individual drums for replacement of the flexible picking fingers, removal of accumulated feathers or other foreign materials, lubrication of bearings, and the like has proved difficult with such machines.
Further, in order to keep the fowl in proper picking orientation, the prior machines have included counter-rotating drums wherein the drums rotating downwardly are rotated faster than the drums rotating upwardly. This necessitated different driving mechanisms for the counter-rotating drums adding complexity and expense to such machines.